Vowel bias in Danish word‐learning: processing biases are language‐specific. Issue 1 (9th February 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Højen, Anders; Nazzi, Thierry
• Is Part Of: Developmental science. Volume 19:Issue 1(2016)
• Page Start: 41
• Page End: 49
• Publication Date: 2015-02-09
• Subjects: Developmental psychology -- Periodicals; Psychology, Comparative -- Periodicals; 155
• DOI: 10.1111/desc.12286
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1363-755X

Abstract

Abstract: The present study explored whether the phonological bias favoring consonants found in French‐learning infants and children when learning new words (Havy & Nazzi, 2009; Nazzi, 2005) is language‐general, as proposed by Nespor, Peña and Mehler (2003), or varies across languages, perhaps as a function of the phonological or lexical properties of the language in acquisition. To do so, we used the interactive word‐learning task set up by Havy and Nazzi (2009), teaching Danish‐learning 20‐month‐olds pairs of phonetically similar words that contrasted either on one of their consonants or one of their vowels, by either one or two phonological features. Danish was chosen because it has more vowels than consonants, and is characterized by extensive consonant lenition. Both phenomena could disfavor a consonant bias. Evidence of word‐learning was found only for vocalic information, irrespective of whether one or two phonological features were changed. The implication of these findings is that the phonological biases found in early lexical processing are not language‐general but develop during language acquisition, depending on the phonological or lexical properties of the native language. Abstract : Many studies have shown a consonant bias in lexical processing in both infants and adults such that vowels are given less weight. The consonant bias has been assumed to be language‐general. In the present study, Danish‐learning infants were able to learn word pairs differing by a single vowel but not a single consonant, thereby showing a vowel bias. The result could be explained by the highly 'vocalic' nature of Danish phonology and suggests that processing biases arise from the characteristics of the ambient language rather than being present from birth.